FOREX-Dollar slides to 2-week low on spate of cautious Fed comments

* Euro hits two-week high vs dollar
* Bullish dollar sentiment fading
* Dollar may fall as much 6 pct in 2019 -Goldman Sachs note
(Updates prices, adds comment, changes byline, dateline;
previous LONDON)
By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss
NEW YORK, Nov 19 (Reuters) - The dollar dropped to two-week
lows on Monday, pressured by cautious comments about the U.S.
economy from Federal Reserve officials suggesting the central
bank may be nearing the end of its tightening cycle.
Against a basket of its rivals, the greenback fell to
96.171, its lowest since Nov. 8, after falling nearly half a
percent last week, its biggest weekly drop since late September.
"We think the FX market is starting to believe the Fed's
tightening days are numbered and with it, dollar strength," said
Ned Rumpeltin, European head of FX strategy, at TD Securities in
London.
Fed Vice Chair Richard Clarida and Dallas Fed President
Robert Kaplan on Friday raised concerns over a potential global
slowdown that has markets betting heavily that the rate-hike
cycle is on its last legs, even as they still signaled further
interest rate increases ahead.
Fed Chairman Jerome Powell on Wednesday also cited slowing
global growth as a headwind to the U.S. economy.
The Fed has raised interest rates three times this year and
is expected to raise its target again in December, to a range of
2.25 percent to 2.5 percent. As of September, Fed policymakers
expected to need to increase rates three more times next year, a
view they will update next month.
The dollar has been the surprise winner of 2018, having
risen nearly 10 percent from April lows thanks to a combination
of interest rate hikes and strong economic data. But the growing
view that U.S. economic growth may have peaked has begun to
erode the gains.
DOLLAR PEAK
In a 2019 outlook note, strategists at Goldman Sachs said
the greenback may decline as much as 6 percent against most of
its developed market rivals, as the U.S. economy starts to slow
with the impact from tax cuts and easy conditions fading through
the year.
The euro, meanwhile, rallied against the dollar despite
concerns about negotiations between Brussels and Rome on Italy's
budget plans. It was changing hands at $1.1454, up 0.3
percent, after hitting two week highs earlier.
TD's Rumpeltin said a clear break above $1.1440, a minor
trendline resistance, would target $1.15, while a close above
that level would signal a change in trend in favor of the euro's
upside.
Elsewhere, sterling remained in the spotlight with the
currency expected to stay under pressure until the market gets
more clarity on the progress of the Brexit deal.
It rose 0.2 percent versus the dollar to $1.2862
after a 1 percent drop last week as British Prime Minister
Theresa May's draft EU divorce deal met with stiff opposition
and several ministers resigned.
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Currency bid prices at 10:44AM (1544 GMT)
Description RIC Last U.S. Close Pct Change YTD Pct High Bid Low Bid
Previous Change
Session
Euro/Dollar EUR= $1.1462 $1.1418 +0.39% -4.47% +1.1465 +1.1394
Dollar/Yen JPY= 112.4700 112.8200 -0.31% -0.18% +112.8700 +112.4600
Euro/Yen EURJPY= 128.91 128.82 +0.07% -4.64% +129.0500 +128.4800
Dollar/Swiss CHF= 0.9929 0.9997 -0.68% +1.91% +1.0007 +0.9929
Sterling/Dollar GBP= 1.2867 1.2837 +0.23% -4.77% +1.2883 +1.2797
Dollar/Canadian CAD= 1.3173 1.3143 +0.23% +4.74% +1.3201 +1.3142
Australian/Doll AUD= 0.7303 0.7334 -0.42% -6.38% +0.7327 +0.7286
ar
Euro/Swiss EURCHF= 1.1382 1.1415 -0.29% -2.64% +1.1420 +1.1374
Euro/Sterling EURGBP= 0.8907 0.8899 +0.09% +0.27% +0.8931 +0.8868
NZ NZD= 0.6838 0.6876 -0.55% -3.50% +0.6877 +0.6817
Dollar/Dollar
Dollar/Norway NOK= 8.4785 8.4390 +0.47% +3.31% +8.4954 +8.4280
Euro/Norway EURNOK= 9.7182 9.6368 +0.84% -1.32% +9.7203 +9.6218
Dollar/Sweden SEK= 8.9919 9.0042 +0.24% +9.63% +9.0211 +8.9826
Euro/Sweden EURSEK= 10.3070 10.2819 +0.24% +4.76% +10.3130 +10.2680
(Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Additional reporting by
Saikat Chatterjee in London; editing by Grant McCool)